#CashAndcarryPrisons: ‘You Can’t Permit Dehumanisation of Confined People And Expect Them Not to Act Like An Animal’, Aregbesola Lauds Soyombo Over Investigative Report

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has lauded investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo for his recent undercover investigation which exposed various corruption in the country’s criminal justice system.

Aregbesola commended the journalist at an event in Abuja, on Thursday and condemned the dehumanization of inmates in the prisons.

It could be recalled that Soyombo, a former editor with The Cable and Sahara Reporters, spent five days in a police cell and eight days as an inmate in Ikoyi Prison, Lagos State, to uncover what has been labeled as the systematic rot of the criminal justice system in Nigeria.

READ: It Will Be A Great Disservice Administration of Criminal Justice Remains ‘Business As Usual’ – Fisayo Soyombo

Soyombo was forced to go into hiding after being hinted that the government is planning his arrest. He had to be absent at a programme where he was billed to talk in Lagos as plans that he was to be arrested for espionage leaked. As a result of this, Nigerians and other well-wishers to demand the Federal Government to #KeepFisayoSafe.

Aregbesola and the ministry have subsequently denied intention to arrest Soyombo.

While applauded Soyombo, TheCable and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) for a “fantastic job”, the minister said if appreciation is being given to the EU and all those world bodies; it will be an exercise in grand deceit the fantastic job undertaken by Soyombo is not appreciated.

“We must recognise the fact that it is in line with the education programme that we are here celebrating. That undercover journalist which TheCable online newspaper brought out. And I must equally commend that organisation and whoever it was that did undercover because I see it as part of the entire circle.”

READ: #KeepFisayoSafe Trends Over Undercover Report on Corruption in Nigeria’s Criminal And Justice System

“You cannot permit dehumanisation of confined people and expect them to be anything less than an animal when they come out. The only way you can get a sane human being out of confinement is to… (educate), and that is what we use,” Aregbesola said.

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